Deutsche Bahn (DB) has said sorry to the families of the 101 passengers and seven employees who were killed in the Eschede rail disaster.
On June 3, 1998, the a high-speed ICE train travelling between Munich and Hamburg derailed and crashed into a bridge outside the village of Eschede.
An investigation found that the derailment occurred when a fatigue crack caused one of the train’s wheels to fail.
On the 15th anniversary of the disaster a renovated memorial to the victims was unveiled at the site of the crash.
Chief executive Dr Rüdiger Grube published a message in German on DB’s website which translated said: “The DB is aware of the great suffering that victims and survivors has befallen by the tragic accident.
“We regret the events in Eschede deeply.
“It is central to the DB, the bereaved, injured and bereaved express our deepest sympathy. For created by the ICE accident human suffering we apologise.”
